Safest Commercial Planes

Q: Are any commercial planes considered safer than others?

If terms of tiny fractions of percentages, yes. Some aircraft, like the DC-10, 737, and more recently the A300, have had their share of controversial crashes. But riding on a particular model will not, in any measurable way, increase the chances of being in an accident.

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This Q&A is part of a collection that originally appeared on Salon.com. Patrick Smith, 38, is an erstwhile airline pilot, retired punk rocker and air travel columnist. His book, Ask the Pilot (Riverhead) was voted “Best Travel Book of 2004” by Amazon.com. Patrick has traveled to more than 55 countries and always asks for a window seat. He lives near Boston.